Published in The Independent (July 16th, 2012) So the population has shot up since the start of the century, yesterday’s census figures showing that in England and Wales […]
Africa / Mali
Africa’s Afghanistan
Published in The Spectator (July 13th, 2012) For centuries, the people of Timbuktu have sought guidance from their Sufi saints. They took pride in the mausoleums of these […]
Economics
A £13bn boost to the economy? I don’t think so
Published in The Independent (July 6th, 2012) We are almost there. Less than three weeks until the starting pistol is fired on the world’s greatest sporting spectacular. Flags […]
Economics / Politics
Politicians are the last people who should investigate corrupt City spivs
Published in The Daily Mail (July 4th, 2012) So farewell then, Bob Diamond. Few will mourn the departure from British public life of this arrogant and over-paid American, […]
Aid / Ghana
African village where every household is getting £7,500 from British taxpayers spent on them
Published in The Daily Mail (June 30th, 2012) As I drew up in the bustling village after a long journey, the last 21 miles bouncing along a red […]
Policy / Politics / Welfare
Can David Cameron unleash his inner Maoism?
Published in The Guardian (June 29th, 2012) The headlines are clear: the nasty party is back in business. After David Cameron revealed his desire for a tougher, more […]
Immigration / Policy / Politics
Labour’s cowardice on immigration is sickening
Published in The Independent (June 21st, 2012) Cyrus Kabiru should have been in Edinburgh next week. He has been picked as one of 19 people from around the […]
Immigration / Policy
The Tories are becoming the ‘nasty party’ on immigration
Published in The Guardian (June 11th, 2012) The manifesto commitment could hardly have been clearer: the Conservatives were going to make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe. […]
Policy / Race
Our national sport shares our national blindness
Published in The Independent (June 6th, 2012) Surely even the grumpiest republican struggled to begrudge the community spirit of these past few days. There is something moving when […]
Crime / Policy
Don’t mock ‘hug a hoodie’. It was, and still is, the right message
Published in The Guardian (June 1st, 2012) Like so many famous political phrases, David Cameron never actually said that anyone should ‘hug a hoodie’. No matter. For it became a […]
Africa / Aid / General
Bob Geldof’s obsession with aid hurt Africa. But now trade is healing the scars
Published in The Independent (May 28th, 2012) I first became aware of Bob Geldof in 1977 when I bought the debut single by The Boomtown Rats. In those […]
Africa / Mali
Like Afghanistan, Mali is a victim of our ‘war on terror’
Published in The Independent (May 23rd, 2012) So now we know that Nato will bring its misguided campaign in Afghanistan to a close by the end of 2014, […]